Jim Steinhardt has been a photographer for over 50 years.

As a New York City street photographer in the 1940's and 50's, Jim Steinhardt's work appeared in Life Magazine, The New York Times, as well as many photography magazines and annuals. Life Magazine ran a feature article about him as a street photographer. His work also appeared in Jacob Deschin's book "Seeing With Your Camera."

Exhibitions at this time included group shows at the Museum of Modern Art and Argent Gallery (New York City), and a three man show with Arnold Newman and Tosh Matsumoto at the Photo League, also in New York City.

A body of his work was selected for inclusion in the Family of Man show at the Museum of Modern Art by both Edward Steichen and Dorothea Lange, but was unfortunately deleted in a last minute show change.

In the 1970's he was a Professor of Photography at three Long Island Colleges: C.W. Post, Molloy, and Nassau Community College. He exhibited in both one man and faculty group shows at campus galleries.

In the late 1990's there has been a resurgence of interest in Jim Steinhardt's work, both vintage and recent. In 1997, George Rinhart, a foremost private collector of photography, purchased thirty-five of Jim Steinhardt's photographs for his Museum Library.